Become a Peer Tutor
The Academic Success Centre regularly hires graduate and undergraduate students who possess good writing and communication skills, work professionally and patiently with others, manage time effectively, are energetic and team-oriented, and are open to learning new and exciting mentoring and teaching techniques. Students of all academic and linguistic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
If you have previous writing centre experience:
Please check on the Career Centre’s campusBRIDGE to see if we are currently looking to train and hire peer writing tutors. If not, please email success@ualberta.ca to express your interest.
If you do not have writing centre experience:
We highly recommend that you register for WRS 301 (undergraduate course) or WRS 603 (graduate course) if they are offered on BearTracks. Upon successful completion of the course (which includes a practicum in the C4W), you may be hired as a paid tutor the following semester.
If WRS 301/603 is not offered that semester, check on the Career Centre’s campusBRIDGE to see if we are currently looking to train and hire peer writing consultants with little or no tutoring/teaching experience.
WRS 301/603: Introduction to Writing Centre Theory and Practice:
WRS 301/603 introduces students to writing centre work and the collaborative learning theory and practices necessary to successfully work as peer tutors and writing instructors in universities, colleges, and high schools across the world. The course includes a practicum and guides students through readings and discussions on mentoring strategies, the writing process, plagiarism, English as a Second Language, citation styles, grammar, writing across different disciplines, research, learning disabilities, online support, etc.
NOTE: WRS 201 is not an alternative to WRS 301. Students who successfully completed WRS 201 and want to become peer tutors in the C4W must still complete WRS 301 or supplementary C4W training.
What Peer Tutors Do
- Work one-on-one with clients on writing, reading, and research skills
- Deliver workshops and/or class presentations
- Facilitate graduate writing groups
- Review research papers, creative and personal texts, lab reports, and many other kinds of texts
- Assist graduate students with theses and dissertations
- Introduce international and multilingual students to Canadian academic writing conventions and expectations
- Help students understand their assignments and texts
- Support brainstorming, drafting strategies, organization, and argument development
- Help to craft effective thesis statements and topic sentences
- Explain research strategies and use of secondary sources
- Assist with revising, formatting, spelling, grammar, style, usage, mechanics and more
- Encourage students to become more confident in their writing skills
Why Become a Peer Tutor
- To improve your own writing and communication skills
- To earn good money without leaving the campus
- To improve your teaching, presentation, and public speaking skills
- To gain professional experience in a client-focused environment
- To add a very important line in your resume
- To learn about different styles of writing
- To work with clients from various disciplines, cultures, and linguistic backgrounds
- To work in a stimulating environment with a dedicated, creative group of people
- To make a difference in other people's lives
- To learn about many different academic disciplines
- To gain experience in coaching and active listening
- To belong to an exciting and growing academic field
What Peer Tutors Do
- Work one-on-one with clients on writing, reading, and research skills
- Deliver workshops and/or class presentations
- Facilitate graduate writing groups
- Review research papers, creative and personal texts, lab reports, and many other kinds of texts
- Assist graduate students with theses and dissertations
- Introduce international and multilingual students to Canadian academic writing conventions and expectations
- Help students understand their assignments and texts
- Support brainstorming, drafting strategies, organization, and argument development
- Help to craft effective thesis statements and topic sentences
- Explain research strategies and use of secondary sources
- Assist with revising, formatting, spelling, grammar, style, usage, mechanics and more
- Encourage students to become more confident in their writing skills
Why Become a Peer Tutor
- To improve your own writing and communication skills
- To earn good money without leaving the campus
- To improve your teaching, presentation, and public speaking skills
- To gain professional experience in a client-focused environment
- To add a very important line in your resume
- To learn about different styles of writing
- To work with clients from various disciplines, cultures, and linguistic backgrounds
- To work in a stimulating environment with a dedicated, creative group of people
- To make a difference in other people's lives
- To learn about many different academic disciplines
- To gain experience in coaching and active listening
- To belong to an exciting and growing academic field